


The First Rule of Film Club

by trylonandperisphere



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: 1980s, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - 1980s, Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, High School, Recreational Drug Use, Romance, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-01
Updated: 2014-06-01
Packaged: 2018-02-03 08:54:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1738712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trylonandperisphere/pseuds/trylonandperisphere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cosima needs to add something different to her college applications. Maybe the new French girl can help. AU, HighSchool!Cophine, because of teh cute. Fluffy, somewhat sexy romance with a older T or soft M rating. Also, it's set in the 80s, because why not, it's something new to do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The First Rule of Film Club

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I've been reading lots of Cophine fanfic and saw a "Cophine through the ages" prompt on tumblr, but I didn't find any story set in the 1980s, so here's my attempt. This is my second fanfic, so I would really appreciate any comments you might have. Thanks for reading!
> 
> WARNING: Massive spoilers for The Hunger, a movie from 1983. So, if you haven't seen it and don't want to be spoiled, you know what to do.

Cosima Niehaus chewed on the end of her pencil and sighed. She pushed up her glasses. She wanted to introduce herself to the new foreign exchange student from France. Unfortunately, judging from the scrum of people surrounding her at the front of the classroom, it seemed everyone else wanted to meet the new exchange student from France, too. Living in suburbia, generally the only new, interesting things the Huxely High School class of 1985 got to experience came from the MTV or the mall. Meeting someone from a completely different culture was definitely an experience of note. And it didn't hurt, Cosima thought to herself, that the new girl was beautiful. With that mussed blonde hair and scoop-necked sweater dropping casually off one shoulder, she looked like she'd stepped out of a European fashion magazine.  _Popularity can be so looks-oriented,_  Cosima mused, sighing again, _though I can see why, in her case._

Giving up, she made her way to the school office. Finding the door reading "Student Advisor" partially open, she stuck her head in.

"Mrs. S.? You wanted to see me?"

"Cosima," the advisor acknowledged, turning her frank gaze to the student and gesturing to a chair. "Sit."

Before Cosima could finish bobbling her two bags and armful of books into place, Mrs. S. got right to the point.

"We both know your grades are of the highest order, and your AP courses don't hurt, but I've been thinking about what your applications to universities might be missing, and it's this: extracurricular interests and social interaction."

Cosima blinked and defended herself. "Oh... but I — I have lots of interests." Her hands began to twist in the air. "I mean, there's music and politics... and I do lots of studying and experimentation on my own. Oh, and I do social things... hang out with my friends, go to the movies..."

The older woman held up a hand. "Yes, yes, dear, I know. But you see, there's nothing on your transcript that says it. And having summer internships in research labs is wonderful, but it doesn't exactly scream 'diversity of experience.'"

The counselor tempered her forthrightness with a brief smile. "This is what I'm recommending to you: join a school club."

"But, I..."

Mrs. S. rode over the interruption. "And I'm not talking Science Club, again. We already know that got too slow for you and it's little different from your academic participation. Not to mention the mess you made in the chemistry lab. You could've set the place on fire."

"It was totally a proof of concept!" Cosima interjected, remembering the taunts of "nice move, Michael Jackson" in the hallways. But she could tell this was beside the point to her advisor. She sighed in resignation and changed tack.

"Alright, what do you want me to do?"

"It doesn't matter, dear, as long as it's not science-related and involves other people.

Find something you like. You can join the Bowling Club for all I care. You just need to look well-rounded and stand out a bit... well, in something other than..." she made a tangled gesture with her pen at Cosima's dark dreadlocks, "hairstyles." She held up a finger as Cosima opened her mouth. "I do *not*, want to hear about the role of reggae in protest and social criticism. Just go sign up."

Mrs. S. looked back down at her desk, silently indicating the conversation was over, but adding one thing as Cosima rose and headed out the door. "And you'd better hurry up. The sign-up sheets have been up a while, and they quickly get filled."

* * *

Cosima didn't expect to like Film Club. She was all ready to find that it made her life suck. After all, she had plenty of other things to worry about, what with her parents constantly off on some research or lecture trip and college looming. But there were very few other clubs she could stomach signing up for, especially of those that were left ( _Latch Hook Club? Gross, no,_ ) and from the looks of who ended up in the group, it was a last resort for some others, too.

Jocks like Paul and Beth surprised her, although it surprised her less when they quit. As popular as they were in the general population, their voices could not compete with the others in the club, who had voted out watching action movies every week. She envisioned them making athletic-themed latch hook rugs.

That left her, Manning the underachieving punk from England (and former new, foreign girl, though with time and her personality, was a bit old by then,) Alison Hendrix the uptight Drama Club/Cheerleader chick who always took notes and wanted to have ordered discussions after movie viewings, and the boys: Colin, who was sober and quiet, and Felix, who was... neither of those things. Sometimes Manning's unhinged-looking, long-lost sister Helena would join in, but unfortunately she didn't count, being from the "alternative" school, as that necessary sixth student on the list to keep their club school-approved and official. If the club got disqualified, there went Cosima's extra something on her applications, and that was something she could not give up.

Not to mention, watching  _Repo Man_  with the group had been fun. Manning and her sister had loved it, especially the soundtrack, so much that Helena went dancing around Alison's house and broke a few things before Manning could catch her. They were still quoting lines during  _Terms of Endearment_ , until Alison got surprisingly aggressive with them through her tears, leaving Cosima to wonder how the usually tightly controlled girl got the sisters to back off and sit down with a few words, while all the teachers in school had been ineffective. And, of course, the boys were still asserting that  _Mommie Dearest_  was destined to become a classic, despite the consensus of the girls that the scenery had been massively over-chewed by Faye Dunaway, Cosima giggling as Felix countered that  _that was the point._

The thing was, Cosima was having a  _good time_  while making herself look more appealing to schools, and had actually built a camaraderie with this mismatched group over post-viewing pizza or french fries, their cheerful moods not in the least discouraged by the furnishing of Manning's smuggled booze, or a joint from Cosima's parents' stash. She was thinking about that in AP Biology when Delphine showed up, apparently just having had her paperwork approved, and was partnered up with her because Scott was out. ( _Yay, Scott, for having the immune system of a premature baby!_ )

"Heyyyy, hi there. I'm Cosima. I've totally meant to, uh, introduce myself to you, but you know, uh... timing," the shorter girl grinned from behind the safety goggles that took up most of her face, and extended her hand.  _Nice move. Who shakes hands with someone their age?_  flitted through her brain.

"Delphine Cormier," the French girl answered, taking her hand gently, and  _whoa_... she was taller close up, and just as amazing looking. "I have seen you in lecture and Calculus," she smiled, a very nice smile, indeed. " _Enchantée_."

Cosima found herself blinking, momentarily silenced. She was getting that feeling, again. The one she sometimes got when a lovely girl got close to her, and Cosima could feel her throat tighten and her knees vibrate. She cocked her head and found a different grin spreading across her face.

"Oh.  _Enchantée_ ," she replied.

* * *

Delphine would have been the perfect lab partner except for one thing. She was distracting. First, they talked about science. Almost always running ahead from the other teams — especially because Delphine was way better than Scott had been at righting equipment Cosima bumped before it fell over, good reaction time, that girl — they would end up blowing past the section they were studying in conversation. Soon they were way ahead in the course description. As days went by, Cosima increasingly admired the taller girl's breadth of knowledge, her inquisitive mind and her enthusiasm when discussing topics from simple Mendelian inheritance to new research in France on viruses and AIDS ("you know, what they used to call the 'gay cancer.'") From there they might move on to the differences between studying science in the French school system versus the American, then what music was popular in their home schools (Delphine's attempts to sing "Relax, don't do it," were adorable, and they were both glad to find the other liked less known music, like The Cure) and before they knew it, one of Cosima's bad jokes or teases would get them giggling about something completely else until the teacher shushed them.

It was totally worth any shushing, though, according to Cosima. Not only were her grades just as good as ever, but between the smiling girl with the awesome accent and Film Club, her social life was improving. Sure, she still hung out with Scott, sometimes, or her older, retro-hippie friend Bobbi, when she wasn't off following The Dead, but Delphine had even taken to sitting with her at lunch, much to the obvious disgust of the popular crowd, and when Delphine and Cosima studied together in the library, a foot nudge had led to a tossed wad of paper had led to a fit of mutual giggles, and they had to scurry out under the librarian's stern gaze.

And  _yeah_ , it was also  _totally worth it_  to spend that time walking by the creek, instead, talking about the availability of ice cream in France, where they'd like to go as scientists, and a mutual admiration of Simone de Beauvoir. They idly rated the guys in  _Star Hits_  magazine for a while, but Cosima liked that Delphine didn't even go on so much about boys like most girls did, despite obviously having a lot of them after her. She'd had a nice boy she dated back home, but they broke up months ago, Delphine shrugged, and she did didn't seem particularly sorry.

The girls ended up sprawled in the grass, talking softly and watching the sun make its way down to the horizon. Conversation halted when Delphine found an orange columbine — rare for that time of year — and Cosima brushed away her friend's blonde hair to slide the wildflower behind her ear.

"Aw, aren't you precious," Cosima teased, her tongue peeking out from her grin, but the humor faded quickly from her eyes. A faint blush tinged Delphine's cheeks, then they both turned their gazes downwards, and realized they'd better return to their respective homes before the orange and gold drained from the sunset.

It seemed to take a little while to say goodbye and part ways at the cross street that night. Cosima felt weird. Like, amazingly happy she'd had such a great time with her new friend, and also kind of awkward, like, she didn't want her to go? Like she was nervous or something? Like, her knees were vibrating, again? They stood unusually far apart.

"So, uh, Delphine... would you like to join the Film Club with me? I mean, we don't exactly watch Truffaut or anything, and it's okay if you don't want to, but you'd most definitely be doing me a mega favor, so the club isn't cancelled, and I would totally make you popcorn and stuff, if you wanted."

Cosima waited, eyebrows raised, scuffling a foot, until Delphine ran a hand through her hair and smiled that smile again.

" _Oui_... yes, of course. I will be at your house tomorrow night."

"Great!"

Another silence, filled with suddenly shy grins.  _Okay, Niehaus,_  Cosima thought,  _time to go,_  and they both threw stiff little waves at the other and disappeared into the darkening twilight.

* * *

"Oi, we've got the perfect movie!" Manning boomed, striding through the front door. Everyone else in Film Club followed, including Delphine, Cosima was thrilled to see. Manning held the VHS cover over her head like a trophy. "One: it's a vampire movie, which is for Helena and me, since  _some_ body couldn't stomach the  _Friday the 13th_  series," she announced, casting a sideways glance at Alison. "Two, it's supposed to be more 'arty,' whatever that means."

"David Bowie!" Felix shout-whispered, popping from behind Manning's shoulder. "Mise-en-scène up the ass!"

Alison shrugged and sat in the straight-backed chair, fingering her add-a-bead necklace. "It's supposed to be more... sophisticated. European," she huffed, her jaw working.

"And numero three," Manning stated, dropping the tape in Cosima's hands so she could load it into the VCR, "it stars Catherine Deneuve, who is apparently hot shite in France, thus making it perfect for Frenchie over there," she finished, waving a finger at Delphine. She flopped sideways in the recliner, her case rested. Helena plopped down next to her on the floor.

" _The Hunger,_ " Cosima read off the box as she took out the tape. "Huhn. I feel like I've heard something about this. Let's just get the snacks and we can get started."

She turned around to find the boys flopped on the couch staring at her, not rising. Alison didn't seem to have heard her, as she was starting her new "Film Points & Questions" notes page. Delphine stepped forward.

"Let me help."

In the kitchen, Cosima still felt a little strange after their last meeting. She busied herself putting the microwave popcorn in and getting things out of the refrigerator.

"I'm, uh, I'm glad you came," she offered, tossing a slightly unsettled grin over her shoulder. "And see, we've got popcorn!"

Cosima took stock of the items already on the tray. "And Fresca, and spinach dip in a bread bowl... I mean, if you'll hold this for me while I spoon the dip in... crudités, as your people might call vegetable sticks, and Jell-O Pudding Pops for later. Swirls."

Delphine looked up at her while dutifully holding the bread bowl. "Of course, it all looks... delicious," she answered, her face a bit skeptical. "And Felix brought the... these, um, wine coolers."

Cosima finished spooning and looked up, smirking.

"Get out."

" _Non,_  it's true," Delphine shrugged, beginning to smile from her friend's expression. "I saw them. They are... 'premium.'"

Both girls chuckled, and fully smiled at each other for a second before Cosima nearly dropped the dip bowl.

"Okay," she said, putting it down, "but you don't need to have any of that — except maybe the Pudding Pops — if you'll share this." She pulled a decent-sized joint out of somewhere in the back of her bun and held it up.

"Is that what I think it is?" Delphine asked, wide-eyed, then poked a finger into Cosima's arm. "You cheeky sneak!  _That's_  what all that hair is for!" They were both laughing.

"Oi, let's get started in here," Manning called from the living room, and the girls picked up their trays and made for the living room.

* * *

It started out interesting, if a bit dark. There were glamorous people, looking sleek and just so in a smoky nightclub. A band played a slow, ominous song in a cage.

"Is this goth?" Manning asked, stuffing popcorn in her mouth. "It looks goth to me." Alison shushed her.

David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve (and,  _yeah, Catherine Deneuve,_ holy watershed, _wow,_  thought Cosima) took another couple home.

"Kinky," Felix commented, as they began to seduce the couple. Suddenly, Deneuve and Bowie had knives in their necklaces. And then, monkeys... fighting? Killing each other?

"Aw, not the monkeys," Manning groaned. And Bowie and Deneuve were vampires, and there was blood, and then there was... a rather good-looking woman with short hair in a lab coat, a scientist. Wait, was that Susan Sarandon, who Cosima had seen in  _Rocky Horror_  when Bobbi took her into the city?

Cosima put down her carrot stick on her plate as Delphine, lying on the floor beside her, nudged her with her shoulder and whispered,

"So, there's science with vampires? Is it 'Vampirology?'" They shared the first look of many during the film.

Cosima lit the joint and passed it around as Sarandon and Deneuve were meeting each other. There was a whole sequence in which David Bowie was getting older, much to Felix and Colin's dismay. Cosima watched as Delphine took a small, wary hit from the joint on the first pass around, making a bit of a questioning face at her friend, then took an impressive hit the second time, held it, blew it in Cosima's face and giggled. They were still busy giggling when Manning seemed to perk up at some Iggy Pop music, and poking each other whispering, "how do you feel?" "no, how do  _you_  feel?" back and forth.

There was a break while Manning paused the tape to step into the backyard to smoke a cigarette and hit her stash of whisky, Helena went to the bathroom, where it sounded like she was talking to herself, and Cosima began picking up some of the clutter, waving a hand at Delphine to go ahead outside and smoke. Alison had given in after the usual fake disapproval of illegal practices and now was humming, happy, drinking at least her third wine cooler, while the boys started playing "how old would be too old to go out with?" (Felix seemed willing to date quite a range of people, if they had money to spend on good times.) Cosima smiled, glad Felix could at least be himself amongst their group without fear of getting attacked. She finished clearing up and found herself mindlessly watching Delphine in the darkness through the kitchen window, a silhouette like a Greek statue, lit now and then by the glow of the cigarette's smouldering end when she inhaled.

When they were all back in front of the television, Cosima passed around the Pudding Pops and pressed Play again. Delphine nudged her again and whispered "delicious" against her ear while sucking her pop and Cosima briefly forgot how to move her face correctly before she smiled. There was a scene where a character half the room seemed to find appealing and the other half seemed to find an "annoying little fucker" got killed, leading to groans and cheers. Then, a whole bunch of stuff happened that was somewhat interesting and creepily romantic, but less interesting to Cosima than Delphine leaning her head on her shoulder.

Cosima was still chewing on her pop stick when, almost an hour into the movie, something started to happen. The Susan Sarandon scientist character visited the Catherine Deneuve vampire character, ran her hand through her hair in almost the exact way Delphine did, and seemed to get quite flustered.

 _Wierd,_  Cosima thought, realizing she'd momentarily forgotten to breathe for some reason. She suddenly felt herself go a bit awkward, her attention further focused on the television.

The plot thickened, and the two female characters met again. Delphine seemed more intent on the screen, too, straightening away from Cosima's shoulder and shifting so her hands were not just supporting her chin, but covering her mouth. Then there was pretty music. And then...  _Whoa. Wait, what? Whoa_ , Cosima thought, as the two women on the screen began to kiss.

"Ew. Lesbians!" Felix laughed from his spot on the couch. Yep, they were ladies... pretty ladies... kissing. Cosima felt something go heavy in her stomach, and the air around her seemed to still.

"Inappropiate," Alison snapped behind her, and Helena suddenly rose and left the room, muttering "this is not good," as she went. Manning just seemed to chuckle a little, but Cosima barely heard over the pounding sound of her heart in her ears. Yes, she had grown up within driving distance of San Francisco, and her parents were liberal, but she'd never seen, ever _thought_  of anything like this.

The characters were still kissing. And then they were touching... and stripping... and getting into bed. Cosima felt a quick clench in her groin and a flush on her cheeks as she concentrated on appearing as though nothing was happening. She was suddenly aware of the others behind her, their eyes on her back and head, the flash of a nipple on screen, and the vibration, not between her knees this time, but around her head, down her throat and chest, and gathering, pooling between herself and Delphine. There was nothing even remotely articulate in her thoughts for those moments, except for  _Can they see I'm... whatevering? Do I have goosebumps? Must. Remain. Casual... still._  Her breathing was shallow, fast, and a buzzing built in her ears as she froze, confused andsomehow mortified, willing herself not to take the slightest glance or move the tiniest bit in Delphine's direction.

Cosima wasn't sure exactly what happened for a little while. She wasn't sure how long the scene went on, or when the rest of the movie turned back into something about vampires needing blood and being granted release from eternal, decrepit life. She found herself thinking  _no, stop it, nothing's happening_  over and over again, without even allowing herself to fully know what she was denying. She even tried mentally critiquing the acting in the lesbian scene, judging  _that didn't look real, like they really enjoy it, because..._  and then her thoughts shut down before they arrived at what it being  _real,_  being  _enjoyed_  would look like. She merely accepted when Denueve's beauty was destroyed near the end, but felt another jolt in the epilogue, when Sarandon, flashed forward, kissed, briefly, another young woman. Deneuve's voice, calling her lover, echoed on the soundtrack... or was it in Cosima's head? Her mouth was dry. She swallowed.

"Well, that was a bit of a bore," Manning commented, breaking the spell by clicking the remote to off and turning on a lamp. On the couch, the boys groaned and stirred, Felix sitting up from where he'd been laying across Colin's lap, and Alison seemingly zonked out, leaning on Colin's shoulder. Helena came back into the room with one Pudding Pop in her hand and another in her mouth, as well as partially on her face.

"It is over?" she asked.

Cosima turned around, sitting up. She only saw Delphine in her peripheral vision, also sitting up, now, her hair hiding her face, rug marks on her bare knee. Manning was lighltly cuffing Alison about the head.

"Wakey, wakey Drama Club," she teased, as the other girl's eyes popped open. "Don't you have a meeting of the Jane Fonda Workout Club to go to tomorrow?"

They got Alison up with minimal spillage of her note pages, and she groggily accepted that they might dissect the movie at another meeting. Everyone seemed a bit tired after all the drinks and smoking, except for Colin, who had abstained. He took Manning's keys from her and opened the door for them to make their exit. Felix was complaining about something, as usual when he was tired, and Manning was helping Alison walk in the right direction.

"Great, now I'm going to have to explain to  _both_  her and Helena what happened in the end," she smirked over her shoulder. "Nighty-night, kittens."

Colin paused, his hand one the doorknob.

"Need a ride?" he asked, looking at Delphine. Cosima watched from behind as her friend shook her head.

" _Non_... no," Delphine answered, "I live close by. I can walk."

And then Colin was out the door. And it closed. And there were voices outside, whining, laughing. And the sound as Manning's old truck pulled away.

Cosima still stood behind Delphine. Both still looked at the door. Finally, Delphine ran a hand through her hair, looked back over her shoulder, then down.

"Well, I suppose I should be going," she said, turning slowly, not meeting the other girls' eyes.

Cosima snapped to attention, all nerves, discomfited.

"Oh, yeah, I guess I'll... uh... you have your jacket, right? Do you... do you want to call your host family?"

She stopped talking. Not so much as because she had run out of things to say, since she hadn't any to begin with, but because of Delphine's stillness, still looking to the side and down, biting her lip. It was a look Cosima had never seen on her friend's face before, and she found herself both afraid and warmed.

"Your... your parents," Delphine started, darting a quick look at Cosima from beneath her eyelashes. "They are away again?"

Cosima swallowed. It was the driest, loudest swallow in the history of swallows.

"No, I mean yes, they're... not coming back for two days."

Silence. Vibrating. Buzzing.

And then Delphine was walking slowly toward her, her gaze still downward, cautious, unsure. She stepped close, her pointer finger finding and loosely hooking Cosima's hand, which automatically caught and held it.

"What did..." she glanced up, "what did you think about the movie?"

Cosima babbled, unconsciously, not even connected to her mouth.

"Uh, I thought it was, uh... good. Very... good. Although, you know, the acting... and the..." Her free hand gesticulated like a trapped moth in front of her. Her words ran out.

"That one scene, with the women," Delphine murmured, a low half-whisper, and Cosima knew exactly what scene she meant. She bit her lip again. That gorgeous lip. Her eyes closed.

"I can't stop thinking about that kiss," she breathed out, and her eyes moved to Cosima's. Delphine's great, deep, vulnerable eyes were looking into hers, and Cosima's breath stuttered.

"That's..." she managed, "that's totally encouraging."

Cosima's hand flew softly to the blonde girl's cheek, and Delphine held that hand to her face, and they were kissing, soft lips touching, warm, a bit shaky, and then harder, deeper. Delphine was pulling Cosima to her by her shirt, softly moaning and darting her tongue to explore, her teeth to nip and tug.

And Cosima unfolded. She  _rushed_  and  _opened_  like like a flood, and her hands flew around Delphine's shoulders and neck. She kissed her back like she'd never heard of, never knew she could before and was vaguely mad nobody had ever told her about.

They were a tumble of limbs, of baggy clothing, falling to the couch, Cosima pulling a wine cooler bottle from beneath herself and tossing it without being aware she'd done it. One of Delphine's long legs was between hers, skirt bunching, the other wrapped around her thigh as their bodies pushed, ground together. Shirts flew off. Both girls' eyes sparkled as they caught sight of the other's bra —  _lace!_  — then their hands were everywhere, over smooth backs, under waistlines, across breasts, their teeth and lips roaming and —  _oh! that'll leave a mark_  — on necks.

A sudden thunk-click-thunk sounded loudly in the room, the video tape ejecting, and they both came up for breath, looked over, looked at each other, laughed. Still flushed, thrumming, they gazed at each other.

"Listen," Delphine said, her hands cupping Cosima's face, "I don't want you... I don't want you to think that I will forget this."

Her eyes were searching, serious.

"I don't know what will happen, and I can't... it must be secret, but... I'm sober. And I don't want to forget this, or pretend it didn't happen.  _Tu comprends?_ "

"Yes," Cosima answered, meeting and holding her stare. "Yes, me too. I want it to happen. I won't forget this." Her lips curved in a subtle smile. "Probably ever."

As they focused back on touching each other, exploring and revealing with each kiss, Cosima was caught up in the realness, the fact of Delphine being there, as much as the sensations. But there was one small part of her that was laughing in the back of her mind, shouting to herself and maybe the world,  _can you_ believe _this? God,_ thank you _, Film Club!_


End file.
